* On the macroeconomic front, international trade figures will be released at 8:30 a.m. EST while the preliminary reading for the Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index will be released at 9:55 a.m. EST.

* Economists forecast a January sentiment reading of 71.5 versus 69.9 in the final December report.

* Bank of America Corp , the second-largest U.S. bank by assets, informed U.S. regulators it was willing to draw back from parts of the country if its financial problems worsen, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.

* US Airways Group Inc , Delta Air Lines inc and private equity firm TPG Capital are among parties interested in potential bids for AMR Corp , the bankrupt parent of American Airlines, sources told Reuters.

* The S&P 500 closed at a five-month high for the third day on Thursday but had difficulty extending gains in the face of lackluster economic data.

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A year and a half after the Panama Papers leak hit headlines across the globe, the country's finance minister sat down with IBT to discuss what his department has been doing since then to clean up Panama's reputation on the world stage and keep the use of secretive tax havens in check.